Kurdish Journalist’s Suicide Attempt in Afrin Following Professional Pressures; Sources Accuse Local Officials of Involvement

Local sources reported that Kurdish journalist Roshan Menla Muhammad, working for the official Syrian news agency (SANA), faced professional pressures and threats of dismissal from her job in Afrin. According to these sources, this led her to attempt suicide, after which she was transferred to a local hospital where her condition was described as “critical.”

The sources stated that the pressures came amid accusations reportedly made by local media officials in Afrin—identified as Abu Sham and Zana Khalil according to these accounts—who allegedly accused the journalist of “insulting Arabs.” Armed individuals linked to the “General Security” reportedly threatened her and informed her of a possible dismissal decision. The sources added that the journalist could not bear the psychological pressure and attempted to end her life before being taken to a hospital in the city.

“So far, no official entity—whether from the Ministry of Interior, the hospital administration, or SANA—has issued a statement confirming or denying the incident.”